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Yahz'hu
"We abuse the Force because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see the Force as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." -Yahz'hu http://www.jedivsith.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=127: JvS Profile Born in 3 ABY, 27 Dantari years ago, Yahz'hu is a native Dantari of Dantooine and is Force Sensitive. He has lived in a constant cycle of life, death, and rebirth, being born into the same tribe and family, growing up again and again but always forgetful of past lives. When born, it is shortly after his death; history does not stand still (all things are fluid and ever-changing). He is born into whatever current events are happening in the universe at the moment. There are those who know of this blessing and curse of his, both among the Dantari and among the Jedi. Since circumstances are changed, the probability of turning out exactly the same is small, but ever he is on a path that leads first to light, then through a long time of darkness, and finally, into the heart of light; one day, he will escape this wheel and truly know peace and freedom. ^ =So it Begins (Again)= Dusk. From a vantage point over the tall grass, a great flickering surface, one could see what looked like an ocean. Small grasshawks launched themselves like fish leaping out of the spume, nipping at the fireflies, pocketing them, then falling back in a dry splash. Bats passed, making a guttering, sputtering sound that ended in an extinguishing swoop. The plain itself seemed to bring forth night color swirled through with red and silver and bronze. The two moons rose, opalescent goddesses tipping light from their harsh maternal scimitars. To the southwest there was a plantation of trees, carefully tended in this devastating openness. First a stand of scrub spruce, contorted by the winds in gnarled figures of split bark and hissing needles - and the pagan odor of sap. Beyond, a rise of higher hedges, then, yet higher trees. These seemed to form concentric circles, but it was hard to tell by this distance and in this fading light. Yahz'hu and his friends tracked the large herd of Piket across the Dantooine plains. They estimated there to be about 80 animals ahead of them, down from the 120 where the trail they were tracking came across Graul tracks. Oh, but if they'd had a chance to arrive there 20 minutes earlier and seen that, let alone fight the gigantic beast! But they continued to track the speedy Piket, docile until one of them is attacked or cornered; they will then turn as one in order to run down whatever predators they may face. One of the Dantari will act as bait (usually a youth coming of age), kill one of the Piket, and run, leading the entire herd to the other Dantari (of the Dantari proper, not the "inferior" Kunga, Mokk, or Janta) who waited. They would attack all at once in a circle surrounding the running herd with spears and rocks, taking out the 20 or so at the outermost of the circle. The Piket, not easily confused, would be unsure of how to attack this many predators at once and would be in disarray. The hunters would enter the dangerous fray and fight at close range, with flint knives and clubs, until the entire herd was slaughtered as food for the tribe. Yahz'hu, normally quite cheerful, thrilled at being able to come with some of the older boys on this particularly large hunt (Piket are by far the best meat the Dantari procure), is thinking about the shaman's story of the Mystery last night. He had been saying It is both alive and a Mighty, Peaceful River. It flows as far back as one can see, as far forward as one can gaze, but standing at Its banks, one see It right there most clearly; that is as it should be. Yahz'hu couldn't help but think about what it would be like to jump into the River and be carried along by it, subject to a Power so much greater than himself, his actions only that of the Mystery at the center of life to which all else was periphery. "MBWUN!!! Stay WITH us. If you're always daydreaming, you'll walk into a river or get yourself into a creeper nest or worse." His older brother, Norr, smiles more warmly once Yahz'hu was looking at him and not around at the medicinal flora. "And besides, guess who gets to be the bait today? We need you with us," he says more gently. "Do you mean it?!", Yahz'hu asks, eyes wide, grip tightening on his hardwood spear. Norr looks at his friend Illi and smiles conspiratorially. "Of course, Yahz'hu. You heard father last night; today is your coming of age." "Oh, Norr! I'm so excited. I will be the bait the bites back!" Yahz'hu's eyes glint ferociously, even while he smiles as kindly as a tribal elder. Coming of Age Test Interrupted A Jedi Master named Rohien Lindalarel landed in her star ship nearby. The hunting party scattered unseen, disappearing into grass and behind hills. Their collective presence felt no different from that of the planet. However, she could feel the Force running strong in Yahz'hu and thus learned there were sentient beings in the vicinity. Likewise, it surprised them both to be so fully aware of one another, for Yahz'hu was aware of her in a way he had not been with any people except the Dantari shamans or garoo. She easily found their camp, following the Force signature of Yahz'hu. Humbly, she came forward to the elders, the garoo, and through the Force comprehended and spoke their language, telling them of Yahz'hu's gift and her wish to train him. They already knew Yahz'hu, like them, was Force Sensitive, but she did not sense their Force signatures because as the Dantari age, even those sensitive to the Force, will cast no "signature", no aura, that will in any way stand out from the Dantooinian environment. Unbeknownst to Rohien, his coming of age test had been disrupted, but the elders in their wisdom saw this as a good sign that he must become as one of them. "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear," as that day was the literal case. They did not yet know her by that name, but called her “fiiti jaarnif garoo,” Strange Medicine Woman; she was allowed to take Yahz'hu to train in the Great Mystery, their word for the Force as it is best translated into Galactic Basic, provided they did not leave Dantooine. Jedi Padawan She took him to some ruins halfway around the world that at one time had been an Academy to train Padawans in the Way of the Force. She taught him that he could reach into this invisible Power and move things without touching them. For Yahz'hu, it was like a great dance, the most choice cooperation, where he would simply ask and rocks and any other inanimate object, or even animals would comply. As she trained him, always amazed at the fast learner he was, it seemed to Yahz'hu that she was continually chiding him for not suppressing his natural passions. He had a vision of three kath hounds bowing before him while his people were slaughtered by a race of intergalactic beings. Released from rapture, he stood and shouted out loud what he had experienced. Others seemed to instantaneously take notice of the feral child, and a watershed moment occurred when many seemed so interested in his being taught in their own way and gathered around Rohien's ship. He turned and wandered out into the wilderness while others bickered. It was here he encountered and slayed three albino kaths (Trial of Courage), the skins of which he wore until he traded them for a tiny piece of basalt, whose shape almost suggests a cat, with Jedi Master Meryn Nelente on Corellia. She got it from the crag upon which the Castle of Per'Agthra sits, on Hapes, in Ta'a Chume'Dan. It was also at this time he met an assassin droid named Synosis, the personal property of the Phoenix Imperium's leader, Matar Lyndruss. Syn could learn Dantari, and as the two spoke, they bonded; through Syn, Matar gave Yahz'hu black iron hunting knives that he uses to this day. Lightsaber Training and Empathy Rohien took him through lightsaber basics, Form I: Shii-Cho. Continually teaching him that he needed to set his emotions aside; she was beginning learn just how oppressively impossible this for one who is so feral of heart. Emotions are part of what fed his ability to know of the Force. He was even beginning to find himself able to feel the emotions of others, turning out to be quite the empath, for his training was not in total seclusion. They would sometimes travel among the Dantari who lived far away from those among whom Yahz'hu was sired. He could have used this ability to heal, but found instead he could feed off what others were feeling and to a certain degree control what others were feeling. He could not do this much with his apparently emotionless Master for she was always right there to discipline him when he did it to others, adamantly scolding him since it was the path to the Dark Side. Illness and loss of his Master Rohien took him as far as the Enclave, but found she was growing weak and unable to continue Yahz'hu's training. This was his Trial of the Flesh. He was to be left in the care of the Jedi of the planet, Master Rael Starfall and Master Jess Holt, but he insisted Syn take him off-world, where he was left among the Emerald Order of Anobis for a short time. Too Passionate Yahz'hu naturally progressed into lightsaber forms that relied heavily on feeling. No Jedi would teach them to him, of course, so he attempted to learn them on his own in secret. Juyo was his favorite because of its inchoately aggressive and emotional nature. He tried to be cautious, however, not to let himself slip into that form when sparring. Someone certainly would have been very put out with him. Visions, Dreams, and Torment He was constantly being bombarded by an onslaught of visions and dreams, variously about the mundane things or into one grand vision, which revealed what he named the Great Entropy. The universe is wearing down. It drove him to despair to sense such uselessness. He found solace in putting more aggression into sparring. There was never a doubt in his mind that people must not let themselves atrophy while the universe was in entropy. He began using Juyo more openly while dueling. =Dark Prophecy and Earning a Living= Exile from the Jedi He felt certain that he had been rejected by the monastic order of the Jedi, and so he let his beliefs lay on the back burner for awhile and did what he could to make a living. He became involved in crime, from piracy to mercenary work to salvaging to bounty hunting. He piled up quite a bit of treasure, making a few upgrades to his ship and keeping himself, living below his means, well-fed. He remained chaste and disciplined but wild. He heard the rumors that Darth Sidious, once the Emperor Palpatine, had been cloned. This was a few years after it had actually happened, but he did not know this. One of the things he did while alive, which was not long, was to reinstate his Prophets of the Dark Side. Knowing of his own propensity for visions he thought he might be an asset to them. With no lightsaber, and not yet resolved to return to Dantooine, he began a futile search for the Dark Prophets; even after he heard the Emperor was dead, he continued the search. Seeking the Darkness, Finding the Krath Ever his mind was on finding this deep, dark, elusive Order. Finally despairing, he learned of the Krath, Dark Jedi who believe true power does not translate into leadership or military might, because they realize that social position and strength of arms are temporal and ephemeral at best. Knowledge, in its various forms, is the true power sought by the scholarly members of the Order: knowledge of the Force, knowledge of one’s weaknesses, knowledge of rituals, alchemy, and spells. If there is knowledge worth pursuing, a Krath is certainly after it. The individual who sees and understands the invisible strings that bind and fuel the galaxy is able to control his own destiny. Knowledge grants clarity, and with that comes the possibility of change and control, true freedom. The Krath embark after knowledge not as a means towards an end, but as an end unto itself; they embark in a never-ending quest, always starving for more information and always devising new experiments to further push the limits of their wisdom. Due to these characteristics, the Krath are often seen as dark mystics, Dark Jedi of great knowledge and wisdom concerned with the more pure aspects of the Force, especially writing, dueling, and beautiful art. Swashbuckler No More Yahz'hu was initiated into their Order and transformed from an unruly vagrant to a disciplined young man, who found deep, true ways to both be in communion with the Living Force and pour out his heartfelt emotions until he was completely empty. He grew. He kept seeking to master Juyo. He learned several languages and visited various worlds. He mastered various "Force powers", but mainly loved to heal those who were wounded physically or internally, and his abilities as an empath blossomed. He wept over natural beauty and became quite an artist. He raged against social injustices. His strength grew immense, primate that he was, and he was on the verge of becoming the shaman he was destined to become among the Dantari without even realizing it; he was considered holy by the Krath, and became a high priest among them. Apocalypse He set out as a wandering, solitary Krath, with their blessing, to see other worlds and meet other people. He encountered Tarfang and the symbiotic cycle of robbing King Dearg on Onderon. He offered himself in service to the Phoenix Imperium and was sent to find artifacts on Korriban, where he was overwhelmed by darkness and at his weakest moment had an epiphany of Light, where he knew he was to become a garoo to his people. He turned from his dark ways, broke his ties with the Krath and with Matar, and was told (by Ashla) to find one named Arhiia Concordia. While on Arkadia, where she rules as Queen, he suffered along with many others a collapse within the spaceport and for the first time spent days feeding others his rations, using the Force to empathize and heal others, using his droids to dig their way to freedom, and taking no thought for himself. A series of visions led him to astrally project himself onto the Dantari surface, where he visited the Enclave, saw much that was familiar, much that was new, and had a sense of himself beyond this life. He was then summoned by a powerful medicine man, Uladi of the Kunga, who hinted at Yahz'hu's life beyond this one and told him a great many details regarding how he was to become a healer instead of a self-interested mercenary. Reflection upon all his years engulfed in Darkness has been his Trial of the Spirit. =Almost the Last of His Kind= The Yuuzhan Vong invaded the Galaxy when he was 22 Dantari years old; that war went on for four years. Yahz'hu learned that they did not spare even the Dantari. He was later relieved to learn that many remain alive and well. Home Again, Home Again Eventually he returned to Dantooine, fasted in solitude to find purification for several weeks, then became one of several garoo, or Shakyamuni Dantari, "The Sage(s) of the Dantari". He oftentimes meditates on the the temporal nature of life, the inevitability of suffering, imperfection, and feeling unfulfilled. Suffering originates in our desires and will cease if all desires do, but this must be for others' sake and is not possible without relying on the highest Power, the absolutely Most Unknown, rather than on what we know, which is only in part, and even that part is warped by our opinions. Not all of his meditations are so glum, for more often than not, Yahz'hu will focus on the Great Mystery, Ashla, who is his goddess, the Force, and what can and cannot be known about Her. He made contact with the Jedi of the Dantooinian Enclave; after a brief encounter Rael Starfall and with the Sith Vampire Stridal, the former Jedi Master Aj, whom he healed of some physical wounds and in whom he planted some seeds of goodness to grow on, he knew it was time to move on for awhile so he could better serve his people later. If he himself did not grow or continue his Jedi training, he would stagnate and only help his tribe and all Dantari everywhere a little. =Corellia= Yahz'hu left Dantooine. He entered into the Jedi Academy as a Padawan of Jedi Healing Master, Dunta Coral. He is in training under those who live by the Light; he does not merely think he's arrived at the Truth because he has rejected the Darkness. He seeks to become a Jedi as a garoo of the Dantari although the Jedi way is in direct opposition to his natural instincts. He would like to follow the path of a Consular (a Seer and Master Sage); to be a contemplative of the mysteries of the Force, a Force Healer, a scholar and researcher, a diplomat, and a wise instructor, knowing right from wrong and sticking to it, passing it on to others who are willing to learn. He is meeting more as his time there progresses, others who have turned from the Dark Side, others who see the Force as being more valuable than a mere tool, others who dwell more on the philosophical aspects of the Force than on going out and fighting or planning wars. He struggles with his old skills of manipulation coming back to haunt him, however. He tries every day to feel what others feel along with them to heal them, not to control what they feel and control them. Sometimes it is a daily struggle, but a purifying one. Master Coral decided it was time for Yahz'hu to meet his final Trial, construction of his lightsaber and the Trial of Skill, whether it be in use of the sword or in Force Healing. =Mission to Ryloth= Pirates and Crystals Along with Jedi Master Serrin Roma, Padawan Johun Starfield, Mike Franz, and Xiomara Toril, these five dressed as pirates and attempted to find passage onto Ryloth, where Johun hoped to find someone dear to him, his Master Stephen Shin, who was in apparently in need of rescue. Yahz'hu had many opportunities to defend his friends along the way, heal those with wounds both physical and spiritual, and find the pieces he needed so he could construct his first lightsaber. He was given the opportunity and power to heal Xiomara's vocal folds from a slice acquired earlier in her life that had left her with a gravelly, strained. Master Roma and Yahz'hu took part in deep conversations on Ashla, which led to the unexpected creation of a Force Bond between them. At that time, Yahz'hu meditated on the Force and imbuing his two crystals with Her, which was success. They are now, and ever will be, the manifestation of the interwoven connection between the Dantari shaman/Jedi, and the Great Mystery, Ashla. Johun attempted to reach Master Shin through the Force, but he silenced his Padawan, warning him of Force Sensitives among the enemy. After being fired upon by NOE forces and finding an ally in a heretofore unknown pilot and his crew, Ditch Drisk, both ships evaded the planetary defenses and deftly made their way to the sun-baked surface. Landing, they hiked across the land, weaving their way through sharp rock shelves that cut them, they barely managed not to get utterly baked by the never-setting sun of the Bright Lands by a bubble of protection emanating through Yahz'hu from the depths of the Force. Finding an old mine, they encountered a pack of Doashim. Yahz'hu spoke to these devil dogs in their own tongue, again being a part of the survival of his pack. The alpha of the demonic canines allowed their safe passage and went off to hunt the NOE squad that had come hunting the Corellians. Along with a Force doppelgänger of Master Franz, these creatures destroyed the forces who came against them. The Fall of Master Shin Entering the devastated Kala'uun from the mines, the party split, with Serrin, Johun, Ditch, and Beedy going in search of Stephen, and Xi with Yahz'hu going to tend the wounded in a make-shift medical unit set up in a restaurant in the starport. It was here, in the perpetual twilight of the terminator, that the plainsman learned of that Jedi Master Shin had given himself over to the quick access to power that the Dark Side afforded in his defense of Kala'uun against the NOE. The Twi'lek Sesk'vati, the warrior caste, revered him, but not all were so blinded. Many of those Yahz'hu met in the med unit had been hurt or slain by the carelessness of the Jedi Master bent on destroying the enemy at any cost. He was even entering in to battle meditation, controlling the minds and emotions of the Kala'uun and Lessu armies. Moved to tears, Yahz'hu went through the dark make-shift hospital, the Force gifting him with extraordinary healing abilities, making whole even those upon whom his tears fell. A Brave Fellowship Leaving after this episode, he fell asleep. Xi made her way to the others, and Yahz'hu had been followed by a young Sesk'ryvak, a Twi'lek of the medical caste, who woke him up and filled him in on what had happened. Yahz'hu learned that there was a stronghold of NOE forces stationed in Lessu, so he gathered up a few brave soldiers, Sesk'vati except for the Sesk'ryvak, in awe of the shaman, who followed him where ever he went, and two undercover Sesk'nabsilai, a Force Sensitive caste among the Twi'leks, who did not show themselves to outsiders, nor even very openly to their own kind for their own protection. The names of these Twi'lek men who accompanied Yahz'hu on this dangerous mission were Bibfort'afa (the medic), Orn, Nuro, Nat, Reess, Siolo, Vuren, Ree'Teksa, Bril, Byt, Chee (the warriors), and Nabat and Olm (the uncover Force Sensitives). Entering a hotel that served as the base for the Sith Acolyte woman who was in a state of battle meditation, controlling like game pieces the NOE troops, these set out to face Jayashri, but many of them died at the hands of her doll-shaped droid bodyguards. Once the meditation chamber and the droids were disabled, the remaining Twi'leks and Yahz'hu faced the Sith, who tried manipulating them all with her dark magic, but Yahz'hu anticipated her maneuver and, using a true "Form Zero", escorted his remaining friends out without a fight, though he did stop to make eye contact, letting the Acolyte know he was ready should she feel up to meeting his ferocity. These two became one another's life-long enemies that day. Yahz'hu had been her "shadow beneath the surface of the water", a presence she was not entirely sure she felt, who slipped past her defenses and broke her hold over the NOE minds, a shatterpoint that not only turned the tide of the war, but cleared the path for Master Shin's redemption. Truce/Victory for the UFFW The survivors decided to return to Kala'uun, but ran into the Lessu armies, who had advanced and so had trapped the remaining NOE forces between the Kala'uun forces. Yahz'hu cloaked himself in the Force and rejoined his friends from Corellia and Ditch, disarming several of the heavier weapons of the NOE on his way through the bivouac. Master Shin, some time after the cease fire, repented of his hostilities, and in an act of self-sacrifice, gave one of his focusing crystals to Yahz'hu, who finally had all the pieces he needed to create his Jedi weapon. Shortly after that, as an act of vengeance, Master Shin was murdered. The party was stricken with grief, but had to begin preparing to make the journey back to Corellia after nearly a year. =Ditch= Yahz'hu was told about Ditch's heroic deeds in response to a breach in the cease-fire by an angry officer on board one of the NOE ships in orbit. Due to his ace piloting, peace was maintained, even though a fight was required to hold onto it. The entire posse of Corellian Jedi have been able to sense that this young pilot Ditch is definitely strong with the Force, and so have invited him back to Corellia with them. They will all, except for Master Franz, be flying back with him. He and Yahz'hu have spoken some about training together, and it is probable that after the Dantari garoo is Knighted, Ditch will become his Padawan to teach the ways of Ashla as he understands them. =Norr's Death= On a hunt with some 19 Dantari and 20 of the Phoenix Imperium's soldiers for a Graul that had been eating the Dantari's game, disaster struck and will always leave 19 as an unlucky number among the Dantari. Instead of a single Graul, there were three, a mother and two sons. In attacking the mother, Norr acted as bait, something the 20th in the hunting party should have done, not the leader and the strongest. The Dantari were disorganized with one less than their usual hunting party, and as a result, the beast killed Norr and one other Dantari. Yahz'hu was in conference, about to begin construction of his first lightsaber when, as he asked question after question of Master Dunta, he felt the loss and fainted. Dunta cautiously entered Yahz'hu's mind, having felt the Dantari's pain himself, and found him in his own mind relaxing and finding solace. The Jedi Master Healer greatly encouraged the Padawan, and helped him find his way out of his unconscious state. He is focused on finishing his tasks at hand and will only return to show sorrow for his brother and his tribes and planet later, when his job is finished. It is the Dantari way that, when away on a journey, one does not return due to bad news. One works with their sorrow, and then pours it all out among family. =Jedi Robes= Yahz'hu has put on Corellian Jedi Healer robes rather than running around in the hide of a laigrek as a loin cloth. These started out as being forest green robes, tailored to fit his short, broad frame. There was a slightly lighter shade of green shirt that went underneath, and brown pants. As he was on the track to finding Master Raganella for instruction on constructing a dual-phased lightsaber, some parts of the robe started to bother him a lot. He walks very nimbly, so the robe and pants were already becoming quite frayed from the floor and rubbing against his boots. The shirt against his neck was stifling, so it was the first to go, and then the sleeves for full movement capabilities with his long arms. Finally, the pants were too much, and so the only difference in dress now is the robe, given to him by C3P9. =Lightsaber Form= Yahz'hu has accidentally created a lightsaber style that is a hybrid of Juyo and Soresu, or Inverted Juyo, as he calls it. Rather than drawing on inner Darkness, it draws on the Light of Ashla. Rather than being aggressive and attack-oriented, it is inchoately defensive. The defense it uses is close to the attacks Juyo uses: very quick, intricate, skilled, focused, staccato, seemingly without rhythm to confuse attackers, but actually a flow of the person in tune with the here and the now of Ashla that it appears her or his body or saber are in many places at once. It is not merely a Form (Form VIII?), but a life-style that depends on altruism, putting self in harm's way for others' sake, defending for the sake of the Force herself (or another good cause), or defending self so long as the self-defense is to defend others another day. Unlike Soresu, its defenses are so fast and calculated that, while it is not used to gain the upper hand, in close-quarters contact it could easily do so because it would expose a weakness in an attacker much more quickly. Rather than reflect one's Darkness back on them, it shines forth pure Light into the hearts of whoever is attacking, be it one or many. =Personal Philosophy= He tries to convince others that the Force is not there as a tool and was not to be manipulated selfishly. He insists that everyone who can should see the Force as a caravan that passes in the night, extant of its own accord, not merely for mortal use, which both Dark and Light Jedi are guilty of. Yahz'hu sees the universe wearing itself down via entropy, but does not believe that means that causing destruction or chaos is therefore true power; instead, by living in harmony with the Force and Its will, one can live in continual ectropy and growth; THAT is true power, especially when the ectropy and growth of others (not self) if one's prime objective. He disagrees with the notion that the Force is "an energy field created by all living things". He leans more towards the belief that the Force is a non-corporeal sentient entity that is capable of intelligent thought - in sharp contrast with most others. To him the Force is made manifest; he can see Her with his mind's eye (not as She is in Herself, but as best he is able to perceive her in his finitude), and She looks more like "an eternally running river" than any other description he has words for. She is Ultimate Reality, or at least Its arm of Power. He has wondered quite often if he will ever meet societies, organizations, or individuals who think as he does, who love Her for Her own ego-less goodness and not for what they can receive from or do with Her power. The Corellian Jedi are very interesting to him for this exact reason. Direct experience with the Force, the Absolute, is the basis of all of the ways people draw conclusions about what She is like. Yahz'hu wishes to draw no conclusions, but live his life always seeking, always touching Her. He wants to feel connected to everybody because he believes we all long for, and need, the same Final Answer, and hopes that interdependence on the Force can become universal; however, we each tend to let our understandings of our subjective experiences get in the way of good conduct to one another, and so we remain at odds with each other and the natural and supernatural. Eventually all ideas must be abandoned if the Objective is to be grasped, and then even ideas about the Absolute must be abandoned if the follower of the Force is to become one with Her, a noumenon, any object or event as it is in itself, independent of the senses; one can make sense out of phenomena in various ways, but can never directly know the noumena, the "things-in-themselves," whether the actual objects and dynamics of the natural world or the metaphysical Being, the Force - they must be content not to know, or to not know more than they do, and experience Her only sub- or unconsciously. It is certainly a dramatic change within oneself to turn fully to this way of life, a transference borne of a "leap of faith" from disbelief to utter belief, from cold and uncaring darkness into the arms of a loving Mother, even if the inner transition is a slow and often arduous one. Divergence From the Code(s) He resolved to live relying solely on Ashla. The Codes state: "There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force." "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me." Yahz'hu did not agree fully with either of these. On one hand he felt both emotion and peace; he felt ignorance and knowledge; he felt passion as well as serenity; he was as aware of death as he was of the Force. On the other hand he knew peace was no lie, though he did gain strength through passion. However, "power" and "victory" were of no interest to him. Only the Force Herself was Free, and, being personally interested in All, Ashla would break his chains and set him free. Therefore, neither the Jedi nor the Sith were fully wrong, but neither were either of them fully right. As he thought back over his life, though, there were none who truly adhered to their codes. Violence was cloaked on either side of the fence with the name of the Force as a thin veil (maya) over their true intentions. None were fully of the side of Light, which boils down to generosity without favoritism, giving to those who could never give to you in return, especially to those who hate you and persecute and try to kill you. Everyone has within themselves the battle between right and wrong, acting on some of both from time to time. Only Ashla, the Force, is fully good, fully real. In the same vein, there was nobody fully wicked, which boils down to stinginess and selfishness. People who claim that they are evil are usually no worse than the rest of us. It's of the people who claim that they're good, or in anyway better than the rest of us that you have to be wary. A moderately bad person knows (s)he is not very good: a thoroughly bad one thinks (s)he is all right. It has been said, "The Force may have no Dark or Light Side, but we do. We must choose." Yet are we free to choose once we have already chosen the Dark Side? Yahz'hu does not think so; it takes the power of the Force to free one from the chains of that vicious cycle. A Jedi is not a good person but someone who experiences the goodness of the Force. Basically, he concludes, there are two kinds of people in the world: those who say to the Force, "Thy will be done," and those to whom Ashla says, "All right; have it your way." The consequence of the latter was doom for the ones to whom it was said; they had resisted the Force, even through their use of it, to the point that they would never be set free and would die in their slavery to themselves; that slavery would continue to the next life(s). Pain does not end with the death of the physical body. Yahz'hu knows one thing: he is not what he ought to be. He is not what he wants to be. He is not what he hopes to be. But still, he is not what he used to be, and by the unmerited favor of the Force, he is what he is. There exists a Middle Path between self-indulgence and self-denial. Patience, discipline, humility, monasticism (solitude, meditation, contemplation, and even prayer), respect for one's elders, peace with oneself, trust in things spiritual over things physical, and self-sacrifice are extolled as the virtues he would like to develop over time on the Good Road. A stoic position of setting aside personal feelings for others in order to bring about a greater good is also emphasized; this one is harder for him given his feral nature and empathy, but he has gained much ground through compassion. Last but not least, the Jedi do not seek after material possessions and neither do the Dantari. The Jedi govern through a shared power structure with many "checks and balances". As Jedi they govern with a council based on merit and seniority. Jedi are, he so firmly believes, almost completely devoid of jealousy and competitive ambition within their ranks. They remind him much of the Dantari. A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. He has learned in his nearly three decades of life to beware of the Dark Side: Anger, fear, and aggression. These are the Dark Side of the Force. Easily they flow, and they are quick to join one in a fight. The Dark Side uses them to try to win a distorted form of Order over Chaos, but is the Dark Side stronger? No. It is quicker, easier, and more seductive, but in the end, good will have victory over evil. How, then, was he to always know the good from the bad? Ashla Herself answered him without a voice: "You will know: When you are calm, at peace, passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack." Permanently in Development Yahz'hu is in love with the Force. He sees value in many of the different "faces of the Force" he has heard about, and deeply longs to learn more about the Light Side, especially the Living Force ("be here now"), and many other ways of understanding Her. No opinion or tradition, however, is better than direct, mystical, intimate, imperceptible experience, as well as the experience of the less transcendent, more immanent ways of the Force, reaching out through all things on behalf of Objective Ultimate Reality (the Nut and the River). Form Zero is best: "The best blades are kept in their sheaths." Darkness cannot drive out Darkness; only Light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. =Appearance= About 1.62 meters if he could stand fully erect. He has broad shoulders and so with his chest. His arms are longer than a human's. He is an aboriginal, appearing socially uneducated; however, he has spent years pirating, becoming disciplined by the Krath, serving as a shaman to the Dantari, and now wears the (somewhat frayed) robes of the Corellian Jedi Order, specifically that of the Healers: forest green, forgoing the undershirt; a laigrek hide loincloth as the outfit's pants seemed to hinder his mobility. The same alteration happened with the sleeves. He is discalced. His eyes are wise and shine as brilliantly as a child's, exposing a heart that has gone through a rough purification, although he can still appear quite feral. His smile is easy, natural beneath his thick, coarse hair. He carries a satchel containing various odds and ends and a necklace made of the claws of a Graul, also proudly showing a tiny, catlike piece of basalt. Physical Prowess The Dantari are a mixture of Native American, Druid, caveman, and Hindu, with a bit of Beast from Marvel Comics thrown in. They possess great strength, agility, endurance, and speed, despite their bulk. They possess the agility of great apes and the acrobatic prowess of large cats. Their physiology is durable enough to allow them to survive a three story fall by landing on their feet without suffering any broken bones or sprains. They can also run on all fours at approximately 30 miles per hour for short sprints. They can crawl up brick walls by wedging their fingers and toes into the smallest cracks and applying a vice-like grip on them, as well as walk a tightrope with minimal effort. They are adept in performing complicated sequences of gymnastics such as flips, rolls, and springs, and can also walk on their hands for many hours. Further, their manual and pedial dexterity are so great that they can perform multiple tasks such as writing with both hands at once or tie knots in rope with his toes. They are quadridexterous with not only opposable thumbs, but opposable toes. The Dantari possess enhanced senses, the ability to secrete pheromones to attract members of the opposite sex, as well as a slight healing factor that allows them to regenerate minor wounds and recover quickly from minor ailments such as colds. The Dantari also possesses cat-like night vision as well as razor-sharp claws on both hands and feet. Some personal strengths Imaginative abilities, understanding a variety of people, recognizing problems even before they occur, brainstorming, getting things done even if it takes very hard work, leadership, risk taking, fine people skills, and courtesy, etc. Some personal weaknesses Feeling paralyzed by alternatives accompanied by an inability to make decisions, aiming at trivial improvements, devotion to meaningless activities, etc. =Weapons= *Flint knives *A shaman staff: Ree *Stun baton embedded in the tip of one of his staffs: a non-lethal short-range melee weapon that immobilizes organic targets with a powerful electrical shock *Two Raven Claw Fighting Knives: Overall: 19-1/2"; Blade: 13-1/4" long, 1-1/2" wide, 3/16" thick; Wt: 1 lb. *A Twi'leki, wrist-mounted sleep inducer *Dual-phase lightsaber: first phase is a clear blade with a green afterglow that is the product of the melding of Yahz'hu and Ashla's essences into a pontite crystal given to him in a gift exchange, cooling both skin and tempers. The second phase is from an oddly shaped brown crystal, turning his extended 3 m saber into a Force Club. The handle is from his former shaman staff, one third of the broken spear fused with the electronics and supernaturally significant crystals: Jela =Force Powers= *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Force_Healing Force Healing (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Revitalize Revitalize, http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Art_of_the_Small Art of the Small, Healing Trance, Self-Healing) *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Animal_Friendship Animal Friendship/http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Beast_Language Beast Language *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Force_Weapon Force Weapon *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Force_speed Force Speed *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Force_Cloak Force Cloak *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Force_Sight Force Sight *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Plant_Surge Plant Surge *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Alter_Environment Alter Environment *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Protection_Bubble Protection Bubble *http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Force_Empathy Force Empathy =Spaceship/Fleet= Tartan-class Patrol Cruiser: "Shakyamuni Dantari: 'The Sage of the Dantari'" Length: 600 meters Hyperdrive rating: 2.0 Armament: Laser cannons: 20 Cargo capacity: 500 tons Consumables: 1 year Roles: Anti-starfighter corvette; patrolling Crew: 70 Passengers: 50 *Powerful sensor and computer systems enable its guns to engage rapidly with swarms of small, swift targets. *Powerful engines give this ship the speed and maneuverability to engage directly with starfighters, and the systems that channel power from the generators to systems throughout the hull are also versatile and sophisticated, being able to redirect energy from the deflector shields to give more firepower to the weapons systems. However, they are more or less useless against larger capital ships unless in large numbers. =Ground Forces= *120 Krath War Droids Class: Battle droid Height: 1.8 meters Armament: Pulse-wave firing assembly (a bow-shaped weapon designed to rapidly fire concentrated bursts of plasma, generally used to take out groups of fast-moving targets. The plasma appears as small orbs of blue or purple light that inflict much pain on its victim); melee combat short swords *Eudaimonia, his vornskr friend =Accomplishments= *Constructed a dual-phased lightsaber. *Passed the Four Trials. *He has created an inverted Juyo that is inherently defensive, but as fast and unpredictable as its counterpart. It reaches into and relies upon the Light rather than the Dark for its strength, carrying one along in the Force's currents rather than in selfish interests, and must be for the defense of others. Instead of reflecting one's darkness back at them, Inverted Juyo shines Light into the heart of whoever is attacking, be it one or many. =Goals= *To sit on the banks of the river of the Force and watch Her be Her own lovely, powerful, flowing Self; everyone else, he thinks, would do well to find their peace doing the same. *Mastering Form "Zero", wherein (potential) conflicts are resolved without a weapon, or perhaps the battle is fought through the Force alone. *To learn Force Light. *To use his relationship with the Force for the good of others, so as to have no self-interest. *To follow the path of a both the garoo and the Jedi; to be a contemplative of the mysteries of the Force, a Force Healer, a scholar, and an artist. To make friends and help others put aside their differences. *To have the wisdom to know when to practice balance, and when not to. *To learn to fight well, should it be needed (for others' sake). *Altruism and true humility. *To pass on what he has learned from his point of view. Jos'hu 05:22, February 20, 2010 (UTC) Category:Characters